Meghan Trainor is "Takin' It Back"! (Album Review)

For fans of Meghan Trainor's doo wop sound heard in her 2015 album "Title", her newest album has been a long time coming. Her previous non-Christmas album, "Treat Myself", had maybe 3 redeemable tracks on it. As a fan, I had been disappointed, and was wondering when Trainor would return to her roots. Well then, TikTok got involved. Now I don't use TikTok, as I think the platform is rather stupid, but something good happened there. Meghan Trainor's old 2015 song "Title" went viral. It inspired her to return to her roots, and give the people what they wanted. The result is this awesome album, "Takin' it Back". Let's give it a review, shall we?

The album cover is great... and very pink!

The Return of Her Signature Catchy Hooks

"All About That Bass" was the song that catapulted Trainor to fame in 2014, as the song was a huge #1 hit. The music video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. Well, 8 years later, it's safe to say the song has a spiritual successor. That comes in "Made You Look", which currently sits at #63 on the charts. But it just entered, and I predict a massive rise based on its current popularity. The song currently has over 42 million streams on Spotify, by far the most streamed song on this album. I know the hook of the song, my friends know it, and now I can't get it out of my head! In the song, Trainor returns to her positive body image message with this hook:

I could have my Gucci on

I could wear my Louis Vuitton

But even with nothing on

Bet I made you look (I made you look!)

Evidently, these lines were inspired by Trainor's therapist. Trainor felt self-conscious about how her body looked when she was pregnant with her son, Riley. So, her therapist encouraged her to look at herself in the mirror naked for 5 minutes. The result was this song. And if you listen to it a couple times, be careful, because this utterly infectious earworm will be following you! Overall, my verdict on "Made You Look" is very much a positive one. Despite its short length for a modern pop song (2:12), it carries across its message very effectively in that time. I would argue it's better than "All About That Bass". It's only flaw may be that it's just too damn catchy.

Meghan's music video for "Make You Look" has been incorporated in Candy Crush, evidently.

Growth in Songwriting Maturity

When I first listened to Trainor, she was 20 years old... AKA my current age. At 20, I certainly don't feel completely grown up, and she probably wasn't either. Well, Meghan is now 28 going on 29. She has a husband and a son. She's officially grown up, and her lyrics reflect that. Her maturity is reflected on three songs in particular. She has 2-3 fellow songwriters on every song on this album, but her influence is clearest on all 16 of these songs. That includes the album's debut single, "Bad For Me". The song was a flop, but didn't deserve to be. It talks of trying to let go of a toxic relationship and how difficult that could be. The song was perhaps too mature for the pop market to handle. I thought of it as a spiritual successor to "Like I'm Gonna Lose You". That's especially considering it features Teddy Swims, who has a similar soulful voice to John Legend. 

Listen to "Bad For Me". It's good for you!

Then there's the ballad "Rainbow", a very wistful song. I am not sure exactly who she is singing about in this song, but she pens emotional lyrics like "Everyone can see your halo, everybody but you". The general messaging reminds me of her 2014 song "Close Your Eyes", which is my all-time favorite Meghan Trainor song. This song doesn't quite match that level of beauty. But if you want lush harmonies to go along with an uplifting message, listen to "Rainbow". It's a song with a fantastic melody, and yet it's not the most impressive slow song on this album. That honor belongs to "Remind Me", the penultimate song on this album, and one of the best she's ever done. Don't let the paltry 540,000 streams on Spotify fool you, don't let this song never being released as a single fool you. The pop market isn't mature enough to handle a gorgeous song like this, one that bravely addresses mental health. In this song, Meghan sings about how she's vulnerable and broken, and how she needs someone's love to "remind her" how worthy she is. That person is of course her husband Daryl Sabara, I assume. In any case, this song will be forgotten by a lot of people, but I ask you to listen to it and remember it. Given the somber tone of the song, she hits some beautiful low notes!

Meghan's life as a mother and wife is reflected in these mature lyrics.

Other Album Highlights

The album begins with "Sensitive", which is a pure a capella song. She makes it clear from the start she's returning to her roots! The song features Pentatonix baritone Scott Hoying backing her up. She addresses her sensitivity in this song, with the common refrain "fuck it, I'm sensitive" popping up. But she admonishes the man in the song for being "full of it", too. If you're a fan of a capella harmonies, you'll like this song. Then there's "Takin' It Back", a song about bringing us back to the days "they played that good shit". I'm all for that message, of course! But for a song about how "if it ain't old school, it ain't got no soul", the song sure does have a modern feel to it. I still like how it sounds, I just think the messaging is inconsistent there. "Don't I Make It Look Easy" is another body insecurity song, with Trainor singing "Don't I make it look easy... I'm fooling you". The message of being happy in the public eye but a mess behind the curtains reminds me of "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

A lot of female singers nowadays are outright whoring themselves, and it can feel rather uncomfortable to listen to, needless to say. Well, when Trainor sings her songs with sexual innuendos, they're just that, innuendos. There's actually a hint of subtlety. The most racy song on the album, "Shook", certainly has some eyebrow-raising lyrics. Those include "booties like this don't come around often" and "tell the neighbors pay no mind to my screams". But unlike songs such as "WAP", MTrain is still approaching sex with some degree of subtlety. And besides that, with this song's catchy hook, it's just more enjoyable to listen to. "Lucky" is the other song with sexual innuendo, but certainly less obvious than in "Shook". "Lucky" is truly a highlight of the album, with a joyous chorus and exciting melody. Give it a listen.

Meghan has a maturity level missing in other pop stars.

Conclusion: A Fantastic Return to Form For MTrain

In case you can't tell already, I am a huge fan of this new album. Now, that does not mean every song on here is great. For example, "Breezy" is a rather forgettable song with a repetitive hook. Not only that, it features some crappy Harry Belafonte impersonator that had no place on the album. So that track sucked, and a couple others were mediocre. But the vast majority of this album is good to fantastic. You have everything from beautiful and mature slow jams, to energetic and catchy dance tracks. And it's the sound you expect from 2015-era Meghan Trainor, blending old school in with the new. That's exactly what this album does. So MTrain fans, rejoice! She has taken us back to the good old days... of 2015.

Final Grade: 4/5 Stars